Water Science & Technology: Water Supply—WSTWS Vol 9 No 2 pp 207–212 © IWA Publishing 2009 doi:10.2166/ws.2009.250

Tea drinking habit for reducing copper concentration in drinking water

H. Djati Utomo

Sanitation is fundamental to broader national development. In fact, current practice of water treatment is not a guarantee for providing a safe drinking water required by humans. Corroded copper pipes contributed an increase in copper concentration in drinking water. At trace concentration copper is one of essential nutrients required by human body for both physical and mental health. However an excessive copper concentration in human body becomes toxic threat. Acute copper toxicity can result in a number of pathologies and, in severe cases, death. Drinking tea habitually may be helpful in reducing copper toxicity. The experimental study using copper-ion selective electrode (Cu-ISE) lowered copper concentration due to the availability of copper binding ligands found in tea solution.

Keywords: copper binding ligands; Cu-ISE; tea

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